Like Father Like Son: Avraham Rabinowich, a New York “Rabbi” who has been exposed for having sex with a prostitute – caught on video with his dreidel out resurfaces as a kidnapper and abuser, just like his father did to him many years ago. In an exlusive interview with CALA, Dr. Amora Rabinowich, the Rabbi’s ex-wife, expanded on the history of this ongoing custody battle, and the most recent kidnapping of the couple’s children.

The Rabbi was caught on camera visiting prostitutes after Shabbat Services, yet continues to maintain his post as vice president of the Long Island Board of Rabbis, and leading the the wealthy, Conservative Bellmore Jewish Center in New York. Using his holiness to gain a leg up in a custody dispute, the so-called Rabbi has been caught on video with a leg up, pausing midstream.

As a child of divorce himself, Avraham was kidnapped by his father and was alienated from his mother well into adulthood, for more than twenty years. The dirty business of divorce and intimate partner violence has become the only lifestyle that this man knows. Predictably, Avraham reacted in retaliation of the circulation of the photo of himself with a prostitute in the NY Post earlier this month. The post, titled New York Rabbi Caught Having Sex With a Prostitute exposed his inner workings, to the Supreme Court Justice presiding over this divorce case in Nassau County. Claiming to be the Holy Rabbi and the better parent, this release helped shed light on his true lifestyle choices and parenting abilities. In retaliation, the Rabbi responded with the only force of control he has been taught by his own father. On June 21st, Avraham intercepted the three children on their last school-day of the year, kidnapping them and refusing to return them. The young children were being illegally withheld from their mother, for more than three weeks.

Dr. Amora Rabinowich, a renowned psychologist says that, “science has proven that the effect of parental alienation on children leaves irreversible psychological scars on children for life. What Avraham suffered as a result of his childhood, he is now passing on to his children”. Will this cycle end without the intervention of the Judicial system? Probably not. This can only end when a community ceases to support self proclaimed Rabbi in his reign of terror. “Individuals who experience childhood traumas and abuse are often less aware of the impact it has on them unless they seek therapy”, says dr. Amora.

Survivors of childhood traumas like kidnapping and abuse often repeat this same cycle upon their own children as adults, if they fail to take initiative to receive help and get therapy. “Unfortunately, my ex-husband has engaged in the same behaviors towards the three children including emotional abuse, alienation of their mother, minimizing the role as a mother, economic abuse, and attempted kidnapping. By taking the children across state lines and refusing to return them to the mother. Other behaviors include violation of order of protection, harassment, isolation, and repeated attempts to take the children through the legal system; he repeated the same behaviors he experienced as a child of a contested custody battle”. His behaviors have detrimental harm on the children and are causing them irreparable distress. According to Vicki Polin, Executive Director of the Awareness Center, at least 90 percent of sex offenders were sexually abused as children. “All abusive behaviors tend to repeat themselves unless the individual seeks appropriate intervention”, confirms Dr. Amora.

As a mother and a trained health psychologist and a fellow of Hofstra Law School, in child and family advocacy, Amora stresses that it is imperative for the well being of families, that the judicial system become aware of the abusive tactics of such individuals and stop them from destroying families and burdening the family courts. Such abusive men hide behind their religious garb, deceiving the community around them. Unfortunately, there are many families who are suffering because sociopathic individuals are empowered by manipulating the legal system.

LIFE FATHER LIKE SON: KIDNAPPING HIS OWN CHILDREN

LIFE FATHER LIKE SON: KIDNAPPING HIS OWN CHILDREN

Mr. Rabinowich was served with a Writ of Habeas Corpus from Nassau County Family Court on July 1, 2011 to produce the children, after intercepting the children on their last day of school and refused to return them to their mother, thereby violating court orders. After refusing to return them, the children were texting that they wanted to be found and returned to the mother. However, for a period of time, they were not heard of because the father took away all means of their communication, and isolated them.

This is eerily similar to the history of his father, Yehuda Arye Leib Kislevich who also kidnapped him in Brooklyn NY at the age of six during the heat of a custody battle. The father-son pair fled the country for a shocking twenty years, running through Israel, England, and Canada. His father, using the names Yehuda, Arye, and Leib interchangeably, kept them in hiding by blending into the Orthodox communities worldwide. All the while, the mother did not have access to Avraham. This allowed Avraham to become dangerously enmeshed in an unhealthy relationship with his father, completely alienated from his mother until adulthood.

Studying the torah, Avraham immersed himself in learning Jewish law, which helped masquerade himself as a Rabbi when he resurfaced in America at age 26. Changing his name from Kislevich to Rabinowich, he concealed his past with a name to easily blend in the densely populated metropolis of Brooklyn NY. His arrest for stealing in 1999 while practicing as a Rabbi in Wesley Hills NY, near Monsey, resulted in his exclusion from the tight knit orthodox community.

When the parties separated, the mother obtained orders of protection ordering both Mr. Rabinowich and his father Mr. Kiselevich, to stay away from the three children, due to a history of kidnapping and a flight risk. These orders helped keep the children safe until it was violated on July 1, 2011 and a return of the children has been contested with continued manipulation of the legal system, by making repeated false allegations of abuse, shifting the spotlight from the father’s violations of court orders to the the scrutiny of the mother and her care. Physicians, therapists, School officials and religious leaders, have all advocated on behalf of the mother as the primary caretaker for these three children, and her wonderful ability to parent them, both as a mother and a professional, despite the ongoing egregious the family has been subjected to for more than one generation.

The long suffering ex-wife of Yehuda Arye Leib Kislevich, Olga Kogan, a professional residing in Manhattan, is still overcoming the tragedy at her inability to stop the abuse and kidnap of her only child, Avraham. The grieving mother was unable to stop the abuse in her marriage, and the same is now being perpetrated on her own grandchildren.

Typical of abusers in the Family Court System across America, repeated false abuse petitions, false CPS reports all unfounded, and payoffs to the attorney for the children are now actively being investigated by the DA’s office and Judicial Committee. Mr. Raboinowich went so far as to pay off the Law guardian, attorney for the children, Mr. Benjamin Rosen, Esq. of a Manhattan law firm privately retained outside of the courts. Mr. Rosen admitted to the payoffs on record before Judge Drager in Supreme Court in 2010. The payoff was money laundered through the children’s private school, HANC, The Hebrew Academy of Nassau County. Rabbi Benjamin Yasger, principal of the Yeshiva, assisted in money laundering by transferring the money to Mr. Rosen, to conceal this transaction.

CHILDREN REUNITED WITH THEIR MOTHER

The parties appeared before Judge Aaron in Nassau County Family Court on July 14, where the children were thankfully produced to the court as a result of the Writ of Habeas Corpus. Mr. Rabinowich is now held in contempt of court, with just a slap on the wrist, but the children were safely returned to the mother. Other perpetrators will continue to repeat these actions against their children because the courts fail to properly reprimand and impose sanctions. How many other children are languishing away, alienated from their parents because the lesser money-abled spouse is unable to procure adequate legal help to produce the children in court under the law?

Despite being arrested on June 12 for violating orders of protection, Mr. Rabinowich was still able to intercept the children from HANC. While the community has stood up to this man and assisted in procuring the now famous prostitute video, more help is needed. The community must not harbour individuals despite their claims of religious observance. This is precisely what enables tragedies like Leiby Kletzky’s death, to occur, as Rabbis avoid reporting abuse of any kind to the police. More help is needed for the other thousands of families languishing in the Family Courts. The Jewish Community in conjunction with the Legal System, need to take greater action against abusers and halt this vicious cycle of Legal Abuse.

One Response to CALA NY Exclusive Video: Rabbi Previously Caught With Prostitute Reenacting Divorce and Kidnap By His Own Father

Just a question – you mention:
“90 percent of sex offenders were sexually abused as children” in the post. Is this man a sex offender? I understand that he kidnapped his children (bad) and had sex with a prostitute (really, who cares.), but I don’t see that his ex-wife is alleging that he sexually abused her or their children – mentally and emotionally, perhaps, which is horrible, but I don’t see sexual abuse mentioned. Perhaps I missed it. Can you please point it out?

And if he is not alleged to have sexually abused anyone, why is that statistic mentioned?